I
am made of that self metal as my sister,
And
prize me at her worth. In my true heart
I
find she names my very deed of love;
Only
she comes too short,- that I profess
Myself
an enemy to all other joys,
Which
the most precious square of sense possesses;
And
find I am alone felicitate
In
your dear highnesse love.
-Regan
Act One, Scene One. We get right into it pretty quickly, and see just who’s who in our story. Lear has decided to divide his kingdom up between his three daughters and he will do so based on how well they each profess their love for him. That, in and of itself, seems a bit strange, but sycophancy suits Goneril and Regan quite well. Goneril went first, and today’s lines are Regan’s attempt to outdo her sister. Cordelia will go last and offer little more than honesty, and not enough flattery. And thus begins the tragedy of King Lear.
On a side note, the last line is written In your dear highness' love in my book. Well we know that the appropriate presentation of possessive highness would be highness's. So I went back to my old standby, The First Folio. The presentation therein was highnesse. As you can see, I used that.
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